Uneven Ground
by Fireball Massacre
Summary: Based along the lines of Price of Freedom, another one of my stories. How Kiba viewed Hinata through it all, while she merely focused on another. KibaHina slightly. Side pairing FemGaaxNaru, only a mention of it though. can be understood on its own.


**Branched off of Price of Freedom**

 **(Disclaimer: I own nothing, but the plot. Hope you enjoy the story!)**

 **Summary: Based along the lines of Price of Freedom, another one of my stories. How Kiba viewed Hinata through it all, while she merely focused on another. KibaHina slightly. Side pairing FemGaaxNaru, only a mention of it though.**

 **. . . .**

 ***NO POV***

 **. . . .**

With an overcast sky looming above the village he called home, he and his young white pup wandered along the dirt streets until, eventually, in the distance, they noticed a small… well, they didn't exactly understand what it was.

It merely resembled a- for the lack of a better word- a dark _blob_. Cautiously, the boy approached the bundle, in which that resided on the bench across the street, with his small canine atop his unruly brown hair.

Black eyes narrowed at the form wrapped around itself, and with a finger, he poked it once. Upon no movement, only a soft noise, the boy placed his young puppy down on the edge of the bench, thus he can prod the object further.

After a moment, however, the boy gave up his relentless jabbing in order to accompany the last of the bench. With a shared look at his fellow companion, he said. "What is it, Akamaru?" Said pup barked at the form, signalling the boy to glance over his shoulder to be able to observe the immobile form. Suddenly, the form shook when a cool blast of wind drifted through the alley.

Without any other option, since the boy had been debating on what to do, he opted to pet the form, believing the form had to be a dog or large canine. His own canine companion walked over and laid atop of the still form right as the boy's hand the form immediately stirred, and white pupil-less eyes gazed up at him. "Wh... What's g... going o-on..?"

The boy practically leaped out of his skin, instead he did the next best thing- he fell off the bench and onto his backside. "Dogs _don't_ talk!" He screamed out, finger pointing at the strange talking dog. Flying to his feet, he snatched Akamaru away from the anomaly, gaze staring the creature down. "Who are you," he barked out with a low growl afterward- actually, a rather dog-like howl.

Continuing, the boy eyed the figure, which resembled a human girl, but not even a second ago, the boy suspected she was an over-sized puppy. " _What_ are you?"

"I'm-I'm-"

"Shut it, and answer me right!" His body grew tense when the... _thing_... didn't respond at first.

The pale eyes widened at his outburst. Stammering, the creature pretty much whispered. "H-H-Hinata H-Hyu-Hyuga." With the eyes down cast and misty, the boy's anger wavered at the pitiful scene before him.

He frowned and leaned closer. "Are you okay, pup?"

A sniff erupted from the bundle and a small nod. Then, for some reason, a soft smile spread over the creature's face. "D-Did you cal-call me 'pup?'"

The boy raised a brow. "Aren't you one of those blind talking dogs?" A soft ringing reached his ears, and something within him warmed instantly.

"No, I'm a human- Hinata."

The boy found a faint smile push onto his features, despite his suspicions, and he was known to never hold back, so he stuck to his character. "I'm Kiba Inuzuka, and this is my pal, Akamaru."

. . . .

Weeks after that fateful day, the boy and his young white pup always discovered that they walked the same way- went the same way as a certain blue-haired girl. Both pup and kid enjoyed the stroll around the woods, feet crunching all the leaves and snapping twigs underfoot. Neither of them took caution to quiet down or sneak behind the girl; they didn't feel the need to, so they didn't.

That feat occurred for only two days until the boy witnessed the girl nearly run back the opposite direction from his spot behind her. Immediately, the boy and pup determined that they needed- oh how they _absolutely required_ \- sneakiness and silence in their morning journeys, which grew to later afternoon recently. Now the boy and small canine sneaked around the woods- just for the fun of it, not anything else.

It was definitely not because both pup and boy wanted to see the _strange_ girl. The boy, who noticed the girl treasured locating perfect flowers, targeted those areas to initiate the long walks with Akamaru. The boy just happened to discover the strange person by patches of idiosyncratic blossoms of orange and pink. _My mother did want me to train more._

He decided to believe he was doing this for the sake of training- or practice, for that matter. It definitely wasn't for the sui generis girl. No, not at all!

. . . .

Over the years, the boy grew up, as did the girl. They began to study at the Academy, which the boy utterly despised, but it was made bearable by a select few. Everyday the boy and his white pup causally strolled to the front doors, and with a glance around the room, he'd spot her.

Nearly every time upon catching the barest sight of her, he'd momentarily freeze until he eventually he snapped out of it, especially each time she looked at _him_. He nearly gritted his teeth in annoyance, while his dog would stifle a soft grunt. He had nothing against the kid that Hinata would smile at; in fact, he thought of the other boy as one of his best friends, but the boy never noticed the caring expression thrown his way.

The boy would practically ignore the sweet girl and continue on his way. Hinata was so supportive for the young blond male, but he was busy pretending to flirt with the pink-haired one- the one with the big forehead. In Kiba's opinion, he noticed nothing appealing about her. Actually, no one made him instantly flock toward them.

It was pretty sad, really. However, he found himself hovering near Hinata, even if she wanted to be strong, but there was so much one could take. Hinata would hold herself together, only to end up crumbling when it became too much, and Kiba was always there to pick up the pieces.

He was an extremely loyal friend. He had rubbed Hinata's back as her body was racked with sobs, white eyes unable to hold back the salty substance that lingered on her cheeks. He always calmed Hinata, and he was never far from his friend. When the blond boy slipped through town, completely and subconsciously ignoring Hinata, Kiba comforted her.

When the blond found interest in a redheaded female, Kiba was there, at her side to cheer her up.

Like any other time, he allowed her to weep on her shoulder, when everything forced onto the girl's shoulders dragged her down with the added weight. His sharp black eyes watched and caught everything that happened in her life, and he immediately admitted to himself that he would protect his Hinata, no matter the cost.

He had not realized when he referred to the strange girl as his, but he grew accustomed to it, never once addressing her about his feelings. He respected that she was in love with Naruto; it was a fact, just like he was inseparable from Akamaru, it was for forever, and he couldn't change that.

For now, he was grateful that he could help her, even if he understood he was merely being used, and at first chance she got, she would run the opposite way, _to Naruto_. His throat closed, heart constricted, but he shoved the feelings down.

To everyone, he seemed like a brother to Hinata, all the while he waited for her to recognize that he was standing right beside her, ready to make her feel secure, while he was left outside.

. . . .

Then, it all occurred… His Hinata was crushed beyond repair by Naruto.

Of course he didn't mean any of it, to anyone that had mourned his leave, and when his Hinata noticed him with the red haired girl, it shattered the remnants of her heart. Instantly, Kiba was there to wipe away the tears that stained her beautiful face.

He attempted to put her together in one piece, but she resigned to being second and unworthy. Kiba refused to let that happen, and as time went on, Hinata became herself, even with the loneliness that occasionally reached her eyes, sad smile in place, replacing one of her best qualities.

She clung to the idea of being noticed by her childhood crush, while Kiba clung to make her stay herself; he just wanted her happy, and he'd accomplish that mission. He didn't want her to become trapped in the layers of torture, so he'd make sure she didn't dwell on Naruto.

. . . .

Days… weeks… and even years rolled on, and through it all, Kiba had a steady hold on Hinata; each day, he pleaded for her to not lose more of herself because of the blond's obvious attraction to someone else.

Speaking of the fox, Kiba's eyes glanced over to the seventeen year old blond before him, and automatically, his black eyes found Hinata. Hinata listened intently to the speech he gave, to the groups he assigned on every position- every time they would switch with the other team.

They had to be ready because war was nearly at their doorstep, the only thing preventing their entry was the wall created out of chakra, which obvious reminded Hinata of what she could have had, but didn't. The village surged with Naruto's energy, and Kiba knew how hard Hinata was taking it, the constant pain that her beloved was focused on someone entirely unlike you.

. . . .

His black eyes watched the chakra wall- more like a dome, and the night was illuminated from the light of the moon. He closed his eyes, throat tightening. He wasn't afraid of his fate, and he trusted that the dome could withstand a lot.

He just didn't want anything to happen to his blue-haired pup. A noise to his left altered him to danger, and his eyes snapped open as he rose to his feet. Eyeing his large white dog, he questioned. "You hear that, Akamaru?"

His companion responded with a bark, followed by a growl.

Outside the reddened chakra dome, his eyes caught the movement of the enemy. Usually, he wouldn't have cared, but when the dome started to waver, he retrieved a kunai from his pocket, awaiting the rush of shinobi. Something was happening with Naruto, and Kiba covered his worry just as a flash to his right forced him to escape out of the way. The dome seemed to drip to the ground, disappearing in the next second.

He got ready to attack, but the movement from outside made his blood chill. There was indeed a lot of enemies, and he ducked out of the way just in time. He lunged forward, red exploding out a large wound in the person's jugular, and he jumped to the side to evade a weapon that would have impaled his chest.

Skidding along the ground, he pushed himself to his feet, kunai being thrown in the next moment. Removing another kunai out of his pocket, he missed the fact that someone darted behind him. Pain shot from his back, and a growl echoed from his dog as the kunoichi behind him screamed out in pain.

The rest of Kiba's team, more than just Team Kurenai since they needed all the help they could get if this precise thing occurred- if the enemy somehow found their way into the village. Through puffs of air, Kiba maneuvered himself out of the way of a fist, but a leg took him down.

He reached his feet, and with a quick glance around him, his heart stopped, eyes locked on Hinata and the attacker aiming for her abdomen. On instinct, he reacted and stepped into the line of fire, taking the blow meant for her.

He would gladly take it again and again, even if his body buckled underneath him, and he dropped to the ground. His gaze was unfocused, zoning in and out. He coughed once, vision finally becoming slightly clearer. His dark eyes met her pale ones.

"Kiba-kun! No, Kiba!" Her voice sounded so far away. "Please, d-don't…"

He cut her off, hand drawing up to her face and a smile pulling his lips. "I'll- I'll always be there for you…" Out of the corner of his mouth, blood rolled down to land on the ground beneath him. "... Hin-Hinata, go after what you want, and don't forget who you are."

His hand dropped back to his side, and his body became still, eyes closed. A shaky breath was taken in as he addressed his dog. "Akamaru, you know what to do." His smile remained as his bleary eyes found her again. He had failed the only mission that meant something to him, out of all of the missions (along with his team or anyone else), he couldn't succeed in the one that mattered most.

He had told Akamaru to watch over Hinata for him in case something happened to him, but it wasn't the same- it was just the best he could do. His dark gaze held the teary eyes of his Hinata. He couldn't take her sadness, but he had to do this. He held in a sharp cough. "Y… You may not get… N-Naruto, but that does-doesn't mean you shouldn't be happy."

More of the red fluid flowed out the side of his mouth, but nonetheless, his voice continued. "Do that for m-me, find your own light…"

Tears ran down a creamy face, and he vaguely felt something warm- _hot actually_ \- envelop his hand, gripping it like it was his lifeline- as if it would hold him there. With his last breath, he mustered up the biggest smile he could ever give his dear one.

"I love you pup; I'm sorry I couldn't help you."

His eyes strained to stay open. He couldn't let her leave just yet, even if black started filling his vision from all sides.

All he remembered was Hinata's face and the soft pale glow that she had.

 **. . . .**

 **Sui generis means (in latin) "of its- his, her, or their- own kind; in a class by itself; unique."**

 **(Tell me what you think, and if you want, you can check out Price of Freedom and you can ask for other pairings that do not receive too much attention in that story, so I can write how they met, since PoF typically revolves around Fem Gaara and Naruto pairing with side pairings mixed in, (slight mentions of it). OR you could just tell me a pairing you want me to write for you guys next.)**


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